RIYADH. April 17 (Interfax) - Moscow and Riyadh still have different stances on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's future, but are set to continue dialogue, Federation Council Deputy Speaker Ilyas Umakhanov told Interfax following a meeting between the Russian delegation led by Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia.
"This issue (al-Assad's future) has been discussed. This is probably an issue on which Matviyenko and the King of Saudi Arabia differed in their opinions," Umakhanov said.
"However, the talks passed in a constructive fashion and in a benevolent manner, and the interlocutors have reaffirmed their willingness to continue consultations of the sort, compare notes and seek for a settlement of the current situation in order to make their stances closer," Umakhanov said.
All the parties should ensure peace and calmness in the Middle East region and "stop bloodshed on the Syrian land," Umakhanov said.
As reported earlier, Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia have spoken out for further dialogue between Moscow and Riyadh, including on problems related to the fight against terrorism and on the Middle East settlement.
"Matviyenko and Salman Al-Saud touched on a number of issues including those related to international affairs during their meeting in Riyadh on Sunday. The sides exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East," the press service of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, told reporters.